Latest server issues…

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I couldn’t find another better place to post.

Occasional error on AskWoody.com:

Error establishing database connection.

Seeing issues of waiting for responses from:

askwoody.com — DDOS attack?
csi.gstatic.com — Google frequently has issues
googleads.g.doubleclick.net — Doubleclick frequently has isues
speedshiftmedia.com

The delays when waiting for responses from AskWoody.com appear to be due to caching of waiting responses from:

csi.gstatic.com
googleads.g.doubleclick.net
speedshiftmedia.com

and possibly other third party sources. The solution might be for the askwoody server to kill waiting for responses from the third party sources after perhaps 5 seconds. In other words, performing server side cleanup of cached data on a rapid basis.

2 users thanked author for this post.

woody, Microfix

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I’m almost certain that it’s the increased volume in traffic at the host due to the impending MS-DEFCON change.

We have been experiencing it too.

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created IT- AE

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It’s traffic, as you say.

This is the first month we’ve had essentially unlimited server power.

Right now – 2:00 Central time — we’re at 19,000 visits. We’ve been running 20 to 25,000 visits per day on the new server (up from 14 to 15,000 a couple of weeks ago). I wouldn’t be surprised if we hit 30,000 visits today — especially if I can work my way through on installing March’s patches.

Amazing.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Elly, Microfix

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It’s 3:30 central time, I just moved to MS-DEFCON 3, the Computerworld article isn’t up yet – and we just crossed 20,000 visitors today.

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The “Error establishing database connection.” The website is saying 500, error, something went wrong, come back later.

Not sure how a website can “kill” the connection for content it already told the browser to load (other than not to send it — i.e. removed ads). Any content for 3rd party websites is beyond the caching control of askwoody.com. Your browser might cache it though.

Take a look at my thread, it shows content (ads) loaded by this website which was loaded directly by the site (script or iframe), and content THOSE ads went on to load (which may have loaded even MORE content). Ad blocking was disabled at the time.

The (ad) content askwoody.com says to load is fixed (unless he makes a change), the content those ads load can dynamically change at any time (either the direct advertiser can change it, or the person actually running the ad). It is impossible to audit this content, even for doubleclick/google themselves since they have no control over the 3rd party content (they just send you there). Once you are there the advertiser can serve each user something different — anything, nothing, whatever they want.

~3MB, with ~250 http(s) requests, over 27 domains — just for the ads, which amounted to 3 identical banner ads (image, link if you click it).

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/askwoody-com-advertiser-3rd-party-content-code-loading/

There has to be a better way to do this (not just for askwoody.com, but for ads in general). Something where the advertiser (doubleclick/google) can audit what they are serving to their visitors.

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Points well taken, and I’m all ears.

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Sorry, more a point of clear info about the current situation then an actual suggestion.

My best idea so far would be to run all ads in a scripting restricted iframe(s).

That is actually possible to do, unfortunately it runs contrary to how the most advertisers do things. Specifically they use scripting load content (more scripting) from those who have bought adspace. Then once they finish all their script and http based redirects (and setting cookies to follow you across the internet), they load their actual advertisement.

Best case scenario they load a fail over noscript ad, more often nothing loads without scripting.

How nice it would be from an advertiser to load script free ad content served (and hopefully vetted) directly from their own servers for all their adspace buyers.

1 user thanked author for this post.

woody

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